Category: Writing Resources

• The Fight Response: How to Write It in Your Characters and Recognize It in Yourself

  

  What does the fight response look like in a fictional character or in yourself? Explore common signs, dialogue, what may help, and a gentle writing exercise.

  rwoodsfiction

  August 8, 2026

  Health, Psychology, Self-Care, Writing, Writing Resources

  anger, character development, emotional regulation, fight response, journaling, nervous system, Prompt Me Within, protective responses, robin woods, self-awareness, trauma-informed, writing characters

• The Lying and Gaslighting Connection

  

  Is all lying gaslighting? Learn how authors can incorporate gaslighting behaviors into your writing to create complex, manipulative characters in fiction. Discover how this psychological tactic enhances conflict, tension, and character depth in your writing. And…learn ways to be aware of this in your personal life.

  rwoodsfiction

  May 14, 2025

  Health, Psychology, Writing, Writing Resources

  abusive relationships, amwriting, character depth, character development, complex characters, creating tension, creative writing, emotional abuse, emotional manipulation, emotional wellness, fiction writing, gaslighting, gaslighting in relationships, healing from emotional abuse, healthy relationships, how to cope with gaslighting, manipulative behavior, manipulative characters, narcissistic abuse, narrative conflict, plot development, psychological manipulation, psychological thriller, recognizing gaslighting, recognizing manipulation in love, recovering from gaslighting, relationship advice, relationship dynamics, relationship manipulation, relationship red flags, robin woods, robin woods blog, robin woods fiction, self-care in relationships, setting boundaries, storytelling techniques, toxic relationships, unreliable narrator, writing, writing characters, writing resources, writing tips, writing villains

• The Power of Shared Negative Experiences

  

  Explore the impact of shared negative experiences on memories and communities in this insightful article. Learn how collective grievances can distort perceptions, fuel mob mentality, and harm group dynamics. Discover the neuroscience behind emotional contagion and confirmation bias, and how they shape the way we process both personal and collective experiences. This article also offers…

  rwoodsfiction

  May 6, 2025

  Education, Health, Psychology, Writing, Writing Resources

  amwriting, cognative bias, collective grievances, collective memory, community harm, community trust, confirmation bias, conflict resolution, creative writing, emotional contagion, emotional health, emotional well-being, empathy, FREE, group cohesion, group dynamics, group polarization, groupthink, healthy venting, memory distortion, mental health, mob mentality, personal growth, robin woods, robin woods blog, robin woods fiction, shared negative experiences, social behavior, social influence, whistle-blowing, writing, writing resources, writing tips

• 24 Mind Traps Writers Should Know

  

  The same mind traps that mess with our creative flow in real life also make for some fantastic character development opportunities. Here’s 24 mind traps writers should know and how to use them.

  rwoodsfiction

  April 14, 2025

  Psychology, Teaching, Writing, Writing Prompts, Writing Resources

  All-or-Nothing Thinking, amwriting, Blaming, Catastrophizing, character development, cognitive biases, Cognitive Dissonance, cognitive distortions, Confusion, creative writing, Cynicism, dailyprompt, Disassociation, emotional intelligence in writing, Emotional Reasoning, Explanation (Excessive), Fallacy of Fairness, Fortune Telling, FREE, Labeling and Mislabeling, Maximizing/Minimizing, mental clarity, Mental Filtering, mental traps, Mindreading, mindset for creativity, Monitor/Vigilance, overcoming negative thinking, Overgeneralization, personal growth, Placating, productivity for writers, psychological tricks, Regret, Resentment, robin woods, robin woods blog, robin woods fiction, self-doubt, self-improvement for writers, Self-Righteousness, Should Statements, The Switch-Side Con (Self-Serving Opportunism), Worry, writer resources, writer's block, writing, writing advice, writing challenges, writing mindset, writing resources, writing struggles, writing techniques, writing tips

• Symbolism of Numbers for Writers

  

  This list can serve as a reference for you to incorporate meaningful numerical symbolism into your work, whether they are crafting characters, settings, or themes. Without further ado, here’s the symbolism of numbers for writers.

  rwoodsfiction

  January 15, 2025

  Education, Writing, Writing Prompts, Writing Resources

  amwriting, creative writing, FREE, numbers, robin woods, robin woods blog, robin woods fiction, symbolism, Symbolism of Numbers, WHA DOES 11:11 MEAN, what does 13 represent, what does one symbolize, writing, writing tips

• The Art of Writing Witty Dialogue: 10 Tips

  

  Wondering how to improve your dialogue? Here are 10 tips for writing witty dialogue that will add sparkle to your work.

  rwoodsfiction

  January 12, 2025

  Education, Teaching, Writing, Writing Resources

  amwriting, are you reading all these tags?, crafting dialogue, creative writing, dialog, dialogue, fiction writing, fictional characters, FREE, how to write conflict, how to write dialog, how to write dialogue, humorous dialogue, novel writing, punchy dialogue, robin woods, robin woods blog, robin woods fiction, short story writing, timing in dialogue, witty dialogue, writer advice, writer checkin, writer's life, writing, writing beats, writing fiction, writing motivation, writing resources, writing tips

• Six Reasons to Create a Book Bible for Your Novel

  

  A book bible—a comprehensive guide to your novel’s world, characters, settings, and plot lines. Here are six reasons to create a book bible for your novel.

  rwoodsfiction

  January 11, 2025

  Education, Prompt Me Series, Writing, Writing Prompts, Writing Resources

  amwriting, Book bible for writers, character lists, creative writing, FREE, How to organize your novel, Importance of a book bible, novel bible, Novel writing tips, Novel writing tools, robin woods, robin woods blog, robin woods fiction, story bible, Story bible for authors, Track your novel’s plot and characters, writing, Writing a novel consistently, writing resources, writing tips

• Writing Manipulative Characters

  

  Here is a treasure trove of information for writing manipulative characters. Let’s hurt some fictional feelings. Mu ah ha ha.

  rwoodsfiction

  October 29, 2024

  Writing Resources

  amwriting, avoid conflict, bingo card, blame shifting, brandishing anger, covert aggression, covert aggression bingo, creative writing, devalue, diversion, FREE, gaslighting, invalidating phrases, lying, manipulation, manipulation bingo, manipulative tactics, minimization, robin woods, robin woods blog, selective attention, toxic relationships, trust issues, victim mentality, victimize, wolf in sheep’s clothing, writing, writing characters, writing resources, writing tips

• Writing Characters: Antisocial Personality

  

  I’m continuing my series inspired by Cluster B Personality Disorders because messy characters make great stories. You can check out my posts (links below). So, without further ado, here’s writing antisocial personality disorder. In this series: Classic Narcissists | Vulnerable Narcissist | Borderline Personality | Histrionic Personality | Antisocial Personality What is Antisocial Personality Disorder…

  rwoodsfiction

  September 24, 2024

  Writing, Writing Prompts, Writing Resources

  amwriting, antisocial, antisocial personality, character profile list, character profiles, character traits list, cluster b personality, creative writing, dating antisocial, examples of antisocial, FREE, robin woods, robin woods blog, robin woods fiction, writing, writing chracters, writing resources, writing tips

• Writing Characters: Histrionic Personality

  

  I’m continuing my series inspired by Cluster B Personality Disorders because messy characters make great stories. You can check out my posts on Classic Narcissists, Vulnerable Narcissist, and Borderline Personality too. Without further ado, writing characters—histrionic personality. Histrionic Personality Traits Histrionic personality disorder is characterized by constant attention-seeking, emotional overreaction, and seductive behavior. People with…

  rwoodsfiction

  September 23, 2024

  Writing, Writing Prompts, Writing Resources

  amwriting, cluster b personality, creative writing, dating someone with histrionic, FREE, histrionic, HPD, narcissism, relationship cycle, robin woods, robin woods blog, robin woods fiction, trauma, writing, writing characters, writing resources, writing tips